Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Archives

2019

Young Investigator

Kelly Bailey

Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Summary:
The disease focus of this research is the pediatric bone tumor Ewing sarcoma. When patients with Ewing sarcoma have metastatic disease or experience a relapse, the likelihood of cure is very low. When Ewing sarcoma cells spread to other parts of the body (metastasize), they often travel to the lungs or other bones. Metastatic and relapsed Ewing tumors are notoriously difficult to treat using traditional chemotherapy. Better treatments for advanced Ewing sarcoma are in high demand. In recent years, various immunotherapy drugs have been developed and used as another way to treat cancer. These therapies enable the body’s own immune cells to better attack and destroy cancer cells. Our research aims to understand of how Ewing sarcoma tumor cells interact with and change the behavior of the cells in the immune system. Our overarching question is, “Are some Ewing sarcoma tumors more likely to activate immune cells than others? And if so, why?” We use cutting-edge technology to analyze how Ewing sarcoma cells and immune cells interact. This data will help us better understand what Ewing sarcoma tumor characteristics make the tumor cells more likely to engage immune cells. Our ultimate goal is to determine the most promising immune-based treatment approaches for adolescents with aggressive Ewing sarcoma tumors.